Who Are You?
by Estelette
Summary: An AU where Sora successfully became the 13th darkness. After a year of searching for his missing friend, Riku finally gets what he desires the most. But is this "Sora" really the same? Can he be trusted? Implied SoRiku and whatever else happens. Rated T just in case.
1. Not Your Fault

**A/N: Hi! Welcome to my first KH fanfic. I've only played through 358/2 days and Re:coded, so forgive me if some facts are wrong. Now, let's begin!**

* * *

Riku felt helpless as he watched a glowing ball fly towards his now lifeless best friend. His heart sank into a deep abyss as Sora's body absorbed the light on contact. The motionless body tilted forward and fell head-first off the tall, white chair. The force that previously pinned Riku to the ground suddenly disappeared.

"Sora!" Riku shouted.

He quickly got on his feet, ready to catch his falling friend. What happened next surprised Riku. Sora's body turned upright, as if doing an Aerial Recovery. His feet slowly reached the ground, a tap sound made with each foot. He opened his eyes and slowly turned to faced Riku. Riku's eyes widened when he met Sora's eyes. They were no longer blue. It was an amber color.

Evil laughter echoed throughout the white room. Even "Sora" smiled devilishly. It was too late. The 13th darknesses was created. Riku, frozen in place, felt helpless once more as "Sora" became engulfed by a dark portal and vanished.

~oOo~

Riku jolted upwards on his bed, covered in sweat. He looked around the room, examining his surroundings. It was just his bedroom.

_Another nightmare._

He quietly cursed at himself. It's been a year after the incident. He's never seen his best friend since then and periodically had nightmares about the said event. One time, he came close to finding Sora, or at least, what he _hoped_ was still Sora. After scouring the worlds, endlessly searching for "Sora", he came across a rumor of a suspicious figure in a black coat in Twilight Town. Full of desperation, he believed the rumor. After countless hours spent in the town, he finally confronted the figure. Unfortunately, it wasn't the one he was searching for. Full of frustration and disappointment, he successfully defeated one of the 13 darknesses. Although he never reported it to King Mickey or Master Yen Sid, Riku could've sworn that he saw amber eyes spying on him from a distance.

There were 12 darknesses left, one of whom used to be the light for many, especially for Riku.

Riku's hand curled up into a shaking fist. He punched the wall of his room, which made a loud thud. He was seething with frustration and anger.

_I could've saved him. Why didn't I?_

Feeling the same uselessness as that day, Riku mentally punched himself and covered his face with his aching hand. He heard a soft knocking at his door.

"Riku?" A voice asked, muffled by the door.

"Come in," Riku replied.

Kairi opened the door slowly. Her hair was tied up in a ponytail and she was in a pink outfit, similar to the one she used to wear a year ago, the only difference was it being a slightly new outfit. It was modified to ensure that the clothing wasn't a burden in battle. After all, she had just recently passed the Mark of Mastery Exam. The oufit included thicker straps and black leggings that covered just below her ankles. Kairi also had black gloves on, similar to Tifa's.

"Are you okay?" She asked again, slightly worried. "I heard a thud."

"Yeah, I'm fine," Riku lied, looking away.

Noticing the blatant lie, she decided not to dwell on it any longer. The only time Riku would lie would be if he didn't want to talk about it. In their current situation, there was only one thing that troubled everyone.

"Well, Master Yen Sid wants to see you," Kairi reported.

Riku widened his eyes, a realization coming into view in his mind. If the matter was important enough for Master Yen Sid to personally speak to Riku, then-

He didn't stay on his bed any longer. Riku quickly got to his feet and ran toward the door.

"Hey, Riku?" Kairi said.

Riku stopped.

"Yeah?"

"You don't need to blame yourself. It wasn't your fault."

Riku didn't reply. He continued to run.

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**A/N: Review/Favorite/Follow? Only if you want to!**

**Anyway, this is the end of the first chapter. I'll be updating this fanfiction as much as I can, but school is a harsh, harsh thing. I'll be focusing on this fanfic more than the other, but I'll still be updating both.**

**Well, that's all, so... Bye for now!**


	2. Crying

Riku finally reached the door of Master Yen Sid's room. He opened the door, full of anxiety.

"Kairi told me you wanted to see me, Master Yen Sid," Riku said, bowing down.

"Yes, come here Riku," Yen Sid replied. As always, his voice was stern and his stoic face looked Riku in the eye.

Riku walked toward the wizard. As he did, he noticed that Mickey and the rest were absent. This didn't surprise him. After the incident, Mickey and the others were usually sent to other worlds, keeping an eye out for any trouble. At this time, the forces of the light were the weakest and always needed to be on guard.

"A suspicious figure was spotted again. This time, in Wonderland."

Riku widened his eyes.

"You don't think-"

"Don't get your hopes up, Riku. Expect the unexpected."

"Ah... Yes."

Riku scolded himself.

_It's probably not even him. What am I doing? What's the point of rising your hopes if they're only going to be crushed?_

Yet a small, desperate part of his heart believed.

He turned to the entrance door, and exited the tower.

~oOo~

Oh, how he _hated_ the gummi ship.

Forcefully smiling, he impatiently tapped his foot. He hated smiling when there was nothing to smile about.

_Literally everything that could've went wrong, went wrong, and I have to _smile_?_

After what felt like an eternity, the gummi ship came to a halt. Riku reached his destination. As part of the routine of Wonderland, he drank the potion and started to explore the weird world.

~oOo~

After visiting the world so many times, Riku would have thought he knew the way around the stupid maze.

"I hate this place," Riku muttered to himself.

It wasn't long before he saw a glimpse of a black coat turning at an end. Riku felt his heart beat faster. Without a second thought, he chased the figure. _Right, Left, Right, Right, Left. _After countless twists and turns, he finally caught up to the figure at a dead end.

"Finally... caught you," Riku panted, tired from the chase.

"What's the matter, Riku? That all you got?"

Riku widened his eyes at the familiar sound of the voice. A cheerful tone, with a slight hint of childish arrogance. That could only be-

"Yep!" The black coated figure, as if he could read Riku's mind. The figure took off his hood, revealing spiky, chocolate brown hair and a aquamarine pair of eyes filled with cheerfulness. "Sora here!"

"Sora?" Riku spat out in surprise, in disbelief of what his eyes were showing him.

"I thought we already established that," Sora said, his mouth forming a playful pout. "Gotten so old that you can't even see me?"

Riku didn't respond. He was in shock.

"How... What..." Riku managed to say.

"Does it matter?" Sora said, putting his arms behind his head and a leg behind the other. "I'm here now, aren't I?"

For the first time in his life, Riku felt cold water drop unwillingly slide down his face. He felt weak in his knees. After a couple of seconds, Riku fell on his knees, his silent tears raining down his face. Every sad, frustrating moment where he would hold back his emotions suddenly flashed through his mind. He found Sora. He finally found him.

"Woah!" Sora exclaimed, his previous pose a thing of the past. "Riku, stop crying! I'm sorry for doing whatever I did, okay?"

"You idiot!" Riku muttered quietly under his breath. "You worried me so much..."

Sora walked up to the crying Keyblade Master and gave a comforting hug to his friend. He gave out a small laugh and smiled.

"I'm back."

"And you better not leave again."

Unbenounced to Riku, Sora's eyes flickered from blue to amber to blue again.

"Don't worry. I won't go anywhere."

* * *

**A/N: I tried to do my homework, but my computer was calling for my name. I tried to ignore it. I really did.**

**Thanks LightzMusic22! If you want to, you can still write this type, too. It'd be interesting to see two points of view on the subject.**

**Anyway, the second chapter is done! Review/Favorite/Follow if you want to!**


	3. Denial

It's been exactly one hour since Sora came home. Riku could remember everyone's reactions. Kairi cried. Mickey's jaw dropped out of shock. Donald and Goofy yelled out Sora's name. Even Master Yen Sid's usually stoic face softened in relief. Everyone, but Master Yen Sid, hugged Sora, including Riku. After the reunion, they threw a party to celebrate. After a long year, everyone finally showed a genuine smile.

"Riku," Yen Sid called quietly.

Riku walked towards him, leaving the party and atmosphere of festivity behind. He went to another room with the wizard.

"Riku, be cautious," Yen Sid began, looking outward from a window. "There is a darkness emitting from Sora. He may not be who he really is, but without concrete evidence, I can only give him the benefit of the doubt."

Riku's eyes narrowed with rage. "You're wrong!" He shouted, shocking himself and Master Yen Sid with the disrespectful tone. He lowered his voice, full of regret. "I-I believe Sora. He can overcome any darkness."

Master Yen Sid continued. "That is a foolish action. You sense it too. Stop being in denial. Being prepared for the worst is-"

"I'm not in denial!" Riku rose his voice once more. "Sora's back, and that's the truth!"

An abrupt sound of a door creaking prevented the conversation from getting more out of hand.

"Uh... Is there something wrong?" Sora asked cautiously, slowly walking into the room with the others behind him. He had fake glasses and a mustache on. "We heard shouting."

Riku looked at Sora and back at Yen Sid. "No, it's nothing." He walked towards Sora. "It's over, anyway. Let's go."

Riku dragged Sora out of the room, who kept asking questions that were greeted with silence.

~oOo~

"So, what happened?" Riku asked Sora.

"_What_ happened?" Sora asked, lying on his bed.

"You know what I'm talking about," Riku rolled his eyes. "How'd you escape?"

"Easy, I kicked their sorry butts and kissed them goodbye," Sora replied, punching the air with his fists.

Riku let out a small laugh.

"Sora, I've been wondering..."

"What is it?"

"Why'd you run from me, in the maze?"

"Well, you'd be running away too, if you saw the look on your face," Sora said, faking a shudder and laughing again afterwards.

Riku narrowed his eyes in frustration. "Sora... Why do you keep avoiding the questions?"

Sora sat up. He looked at Riku, his eyes, surprisingly, were filled with exhaustion. "Riku. Can this wait for another day? I'm tired." He pleaded.

Riku decided to drop the subject. "Yeah, sorry."

_Stupid. Stupid. It's obvious that Sora would be exhausted from escaping. _He felt like punching himself in the gut.

"Hey... Riku?"

Riku looked up at Sora. "Yeah?"

"Can you tell me any interesting that happened while I was gone?" Sora lied down on his bed, his head resting on his arms.

Riku nodded, showing a small smile, one that had happiness and a hint of sadness.

During that night, Riku felt as if all his worries were gone.

* * *

**A/N: Goodbye friends, I'm done. Three updates and I still didn't do my homework. Haha...**

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	4. The Same

Sora was the first to wake up. He let out a small yawn and sat up on his bed, looking out the window. It was dawn. He looked around his room, dimly lit by the sun's rising. He saw Riku sleeping soundly and peacefully, sitting upright against the side of Sora's bed. Sora closed his eyes. When he opened them, they had changed from blue to a familiar shade of yellow. He muttered something and looked at Riku, a twisted smile on his face.

_How lost you are._

~oOo~

Riku opened his eyes, blinking multiple time before becoming fully awake, and let out a big yawn. He looked out one of the windows in the room. It was noon. He must have been more tired that he thought he'd been and fell asleep in Sora's room. He stretched his arms and stood up. Riku heard a soft, snoozing sound from Sora, who was in a messy sleeping position, with one arm and one leg off his bed. Riku rolled his eyes, showing a small smile. No matter how much time passed, Sora would still sleep in the same position. He silently tip-toed out of the room, quietly closing the door behind him.

~oOo~

Riku was reading a book at a table when Kairi came in.

"Hey," Riku greeted, not taking his eyes off the page.

"Hey."

Kairi took a seat at the same table. She looked at the ground and shifted around in the chair.

"Something wrong?" Riku asked, noticing her strange movements.

"Yeah..." Kairi responded, her voice full of caution, as if she was about to venture into a minefield. "What happened? With Master Yen Sid."

"Nothing," Riku coldly replied, his eyes still glued to the book.

"Riku, we both know that 'nothing' didn't happen."

Riku finally closed his book and placed it on the table. He sighed.

"Look, Kairi. It's really nothing, alright? Even if it was, it doesn't involve you."

"That's the thing, Riku. It _does _involve me. I'm not stupid. I know it was about Sora. As much as you want to be the lone wolf, you can't fight through everything alone. We can help, Riku! We're friends, aren't we? Friends can help-"

"No, you can't!" Riku interrupted, raising his voice. He saw Kairi flinch at his voice. He lowered the sound. "Look, sorry. But, it's really nothing, okay?" He added.

Kairi stayed silent. After waiting for a reply that he didn't receive, Riku arose from his seat and towards the door.

"If anyone wants me, tell them I'll be in Hollow Bastion."

With that, he exited through the door.

~oOo~

Riku lashed out his irritation on the surrounding heartless with his Way To Dawn.

_I mess up everything!_

Riku wasn't focusing on the battle. He was just clouded with feelings of regret. As a result, a heartless managed to attack him from behind. It knocked his keyblade far away. The Defender heartless was ready to attack once more. Without enough time to recall it, Riku braced himself for impact. It never came. The Defender heartless paused and exploded into munny and numerous green health orbs. He saw a blurry figure slash through it.

"Looked like you needed help," a voice said.

Riku looked to his right. He saw Sora, with a black keyblade slung over his shoulder. Riku squinted at the keyblade. He never saw it before and it _definitely_ didn't look anything like the Kingdom Key.

"Kairi told me you'd be here," Sora explained, before pausing for a minute and continuing. "I was bored."

"New keyblade?" Riku asked, feeling a foreboding, dark vibe that sent chills through his spine.

"Huh?" Sora looked at his keyblade, as if it never before occured to him that his keyblade was different. "Yeah, it's new. It's called the Void Gear, or something like that." Sora held out his weapon in front of both him and Riku. "Cool, right?" He smiled proudly.

"Yeah, I guess." Riku eyed the weapon suspiciously. "Where'd you find it?"

"In another world," Sora vaguely replied.

Both his and Sora's keyblade vanished. Sora ran to Riku and held out his hand. Riku grabbed it and stood up, but he noticed something strange. Sora's hand was _cold._ Sure, it was cold outside, but usually Sora's hand felt warm, like a kind light showing you the right path.

Riku shook his head.

_I'm just being paranoid at this point._

He and Sora both walked back to town, chatting all the way there and, despite all the hints, Riku didn't suspect Sora of being anything but the same.

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**A/N: Another chapter done!**

**I have a long weekend ahead of me (days off from school are the best). That being said, I'll be sure to update this with more chapters. Possibly for the next one as well, but I'm at a writer's block for the other. I'll try!**

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	5. Cloaked Figure

Although Riku and Sora were fighting heartless while the sun was still up, by the time they reached the town, it was already dark. The cold air brushed up against the two as Riku followed Sora, who claimed to know the exact place where he left the gummi ship. The icy wind blew and blew, making Riku shiver with each second that passed by. It felt as if he was freezing to death.

_It had to be Hollow Bastion. It couldn't have been Agrabah or anything else. _Riku thought to himself, crossing his arms to keep warmth. He wanted to punch his old self for choosing a world with such horrible weather.

With only the lights of the surrounding buildings to illuminate the road, it was hard to see where the duo were heading. Riku blindly followed Sora, who seemed to be unaffected by the frosty temperature. He seemed to be making random twists and turns at all of the crossroads they were faced with. To Riku's dismay, this only prolonged the route to the gummi ship. After realizing that they were wandering in circles around the same building, Riku finally stopped in the middle of the road.

"I think it's safe to say we're lost," Riku finally said, shooting an annoyed look at Sora. "So where did you leave the gummi ship again?"

Sora stopped and turned around facing Riku and his irritated expression. "Don't worry! I know exactly where I left it!" He said. He flashed a grin that symbolized an _don't-worry-I-got-this_ gesture and gave a failed attempt of a reassuring thumbs-up as he turned his back to Riku.

Sora ran straight and then turned right, determined to prove the statement. With nothing else to do, Riku reluctantly followed, already knowing what the outcome would be. After walking for a bit more, it was clear that the surroundings seemed familiar once again.

"We just made a complete circle," Riku sighed, covering his face with one hand.

"Okay, then I have an idea, Mr. Grumpy," Sora said, crossing his arms. "We split up! Whoever finds the gummi ship first will just cast a thunder and alert the other." he thought for a second before continuing. "Loser buys ice cream!" Sora smiled.

Riku rolled his eyes. Before he could say anything, the competitive brunette took off, slowly fading farther away into the darkness of the streets. Riku sighed once more, and started running in the opposite direction.

~oOo~

It didn't take long until Riku felt like he was in Wonderland again. Except this time, he had the lovely company of freakishly cold air with him.

_How hard is it to find a stinkin' gummi ship?_ Riku complained to himself, already sick of the amount of time wasted in the world. _Might as well have gone to Christmas Town!_

An exaggerated complaint? Yes. Was the temperature freezing? _Yes, it was._

_Just find the stinkin' location and get out of here already._

And that's what he did.

~oOo~

The buildings seemed to grow bigger as Sora went on, looming over him and trapping the brunette in. The lights coming from the surrounding towers became dimmer and dimmer. Sora ran through the winding road for a couple more steps until he reached a small, dark alleyway. He then looked around, making sure that no one else was watching or following him. Sora took a deep breath and finally asked aloud.

"What do _you _want, you old fart?"

A black coat emerged from the shadows in front of him. As if on cue, the air in the alley became ominous as the figure began to speak.

"Just making sure you're on track, Sora," The figure said.

Sora glared.

"Or should I say, _Vanitas_?"

"Sora's" eyes shifted from blue to amber at sound of the name. He casually walked near a wall and leaned on it, crossing his arms. When he spoke, his voice was deeper and darker.

"Yeah, yeah. I know what I'm doing."

"I hope you do, for the fate of your own future," The figure added with mock worry. "You can _easily_ be replaced."

"Sora" narrowed his eyes, which were full of a restrained temper outburst, and clenched his shaking fists, raising his shoulders in the process. Before he could respond, a loud booming noise came from behind him, interrupting the charming conversation. "Sora" relaxed his shoulders and his fists became released. At the same time, his eyes' colors reversed to the original shade of blue and his voice went back to the same pitch as before.

"Well, if you'd excuse me," Sora said, his tone touched by a hint of rudeness. He turned his back against the cloaked figure, facing towards where the magic was used. "It looks like I just lost a petty game."

With that, Sora ran.

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**A/N: And that ends chapter 5!**

**LightzMusic22: Haha, thanks! I'm glad you like the story :D! Writers block is an evil thing, isn't it?**

**Axel'sChakrams8: Thanks for showing constructive critisism! I tried to keep in mind about what you said while writing this. **

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	6. Stars

**R**iku crossed his arms to keep warmth in the frosty temperature. As he stood, small clouds formed as he breathed out.

_What's taking so long?_

He considered casting a firaga to keep warmth. Riku even thought about casting another thunder, just in case Sora didn't see the first one. He disregarded all the thoughts and repeatedly tapped his foot impatiently when he saw Sora run towards him.

"About time," Riku said, his teeth mildly chattering from the cold air. "What took so long?"

Sora didn't reply. His eyebrows were narrowed and his eyes looked distant, as if he was focused on another subject. Riku waved his hands in front of Sora's face.

"Hello? Hollow Bastion to Sora?" Riku called.

"Huh?" Sora replied, startled. It seemed as if he had just realized that Riku was next to him, like he forgot the main reason why Sora ran to the alley in the first place.

"Something wrong? Did something happen on the why here? What took you so long?" Riku bombarded Sora with questions.

"Oh, well, I just protected a shopkeeper from heartless on the way," Sora explained. "The old man wouldn't stop thanking me and offering me goods." Riku noticed an undertone of annoyance in his usually upbeat voice.

Riku raised an eyebrow, somewhat suspicious of Sora's story.

"Anyways, I owe you ice cream, huh?" Sora changed the subject. He smiled, despite the loss.

~oOo~

**T**he stars were shining brightly in the dark sky when Sora and Riku got back to Master Yen Sid's Tower. Riku looked up at the planets, which looked like tiny orbs of light from where he was. He became entranced by their never-wavering phosphorescence in the black ocean of the sky. It seemed as if the stars were shining brighter tonight.

Which was true, in Riku's eyes. Each night, before he found Sora, Riku would stare at the sky, wishing upon the myriad of stars, wishing just for one last time to see his best friend. From night to night, he would wish again and again; yet the next day would result the same as the last. After a while, Riku stopped looking at the planets altogether. His determination became smaller over time. Even the stars themselves became dimmer, as if giving up on Riku's fervent desire.

But tonight, it seemed as if the Gods of Olympus themselves decided to make the stars radiate their brightest tonight. Riku smiled at the planets, their glow reflected his aquamarine eyes.

He made a mental note to himself to visit the Olympus Coliseum and make an offering to the gods there.

"Riku?" Sora's voice broke his thought process, whipping Riku back to reality.

Riku jumped. He realized how weird he must of looked out of context.

"Oh, yeah." With his face covered in a faint red blush, he ran to Sora, who was waiting on the final doorstep leading up to the main doors. As Riku reached for the doorknob, the memories of him fighting with Kairi flooded back into his mind. His hand faltered halfway on the road to the doorknob. Even the stars failed to cheer Riku up on that matter.

"Something wrong?" Sora asked.

"Nothing," Riku replied quickly. He gave a contrived smile in an attempt to ease Sora's concern. "It's nothing," he repeated.

Not waiting for Sora to respond, Riku reached for the doorknob and slowly opened the door. Furtively sticking his head in, he looked inside to see if anyone was there.

_Good, it looks like no one noticed us coming in so late._

Riku quietly walked inside, with Sora following right behind him. It wasn't long before a voice stopped them in their tracks.

"And just where do you think you two are going, coming back in the middle of the night?" Riku and Sora both froze and turned in the direction where the voice came from.

It was Kairi, dressed in her night clothing. Her carmine hair was left down, unlike her usual tied up hairstyle. She was in a black tank top and had long, grey sweatpants on. She was prepared to go to sleep, in contrast to Riku and Sora, who were still in their battle clothing

Sora was the first one to react. "Kairi!"

"Honestly, you two," Kairi began. "We were so worried! Why are you guys so late?" She crossed her arms and tapped her foot, waiting for an answer from the two delinquents.

"Well, you see..." Sora tried to explain, but his voice lost its initial volume. The soft muttering his voice became was inscrutable and hard to hear.

Riku was equally inarticulate. Kairi's agitated countenance was enough to scare the Heartless off.

Noticing that the boys were too frightened to speak, Kairi sighed and eased her expression.

"Well, whatever. Just make sure you guys don't do this again." Kairi wagged her finger accusingly.

"Yes, Ma'am!" Sora saluted, standing straight like a ruler. With that, he ran off to the direction of his room.

Riku and Kairi were left alone, standing in front of each other. Saying that the atmosphere was awkward was an understatement.

"Well, I guess I should-" Kairi started.

"Sorry!" Riku suddenly interrupted.

Kairi blinked, surprised at the abrupt yell.

"Sorry, y'know... For yelling at you. You were only trying to help." Riku was looking away, slightly embarrassed for his previous petulant act.

Kairi blinked once more. She started to giggle for a bit, which puzzled Riku.

"Kairi? Why are you laughing?"

"It's fine, Riku," She finally said. Kairi showed a small smile. "It's fine. It was also my fault for being too nosy."

"No, but..." Riku's voice faded away.

"Don't worry about it!" Kairi reassured him. "I'm not even mad."

Kairi began walking to the wing that her room was located in. She turned back to Riku and gave out a short chuckle before continuing on the route to her bedroom.

"And try not to use that expression again. It makes you look like a lost puppy."

* * *

**A/N: Sorry for the late chapter!**

**Wanli8970: That's for me to know and you to find out ;). Joking aside, Vanitas' body was destroyed in Birth By Sleep by Ventus, wasn't it? So yeah, it's Vanitas possessing Sora.**

**xXxMystical-DreamerxXx: Thanks! The idea seemed cool when it came to my head, so yeah... I'm glad you like it!**

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